Dr. Jonathan DellaVedova, chief of pediatric and neonatal services at Sault Area Hospital, says the masks “work,” but most people won’t wear them in “adequate numbers” unless mandated. JEFFREY OUGLER/THE SAULT STAR

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Sault Area Hospital continues to see a “steady” number of children with respiratory infections and “fortunately” the area’s primary health care facility has not exceeded its beds or staff — however, says chief of pediatric and neonatal services of the unit.

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But after circulating in southern Ontario for weeks, the flu is now in the Algoma region, said Dr. Jonathan DellaVedova. “So we anticipate that the number of emergency room visits and hospital admissions will increase,” he told the Sault Star Thursday. Algoma Public Health reported on Nov. 3 the first two confirmed cases of influenza A this respiratory season in Sault Ste. Marie area. “Our experience so far shows that patients stay in the hospital longer to recover from respiratory infections, especially when they have multiple viruses at the same time,” DellaVedova said. Ontario children’s hospitals are reporting especially longer-than-usual wait times as providers see rising rates of respiratory illnesses amid reduced public health measures and ongoing staff shortages, and experts say the situation could worsen as cold and flu season hits. flu is increasing.

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The Sault Area Hospital recently said it had not exceeded its capacity to care for children, but warned that could easily change. Currently, SAH still has beds open to care for infants, children and teenagers, either for respiratory infections or for other reasons. “As far as I know, there are no children in our ICU, which is designed for adults,” DellaVedova said, but added that the province has instructed the hospital to keep critical teenagers, ages 14-17, there instead of transfer to a children’s hospital. . “Given that all pediatric ICU beds in the province are currently full, it’s not clear what would happen on a daily basis if we had a critically ill child under the age of 14 who needed an ICU bed,” DellaVedova said.

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The situation in southern Ontario is much more serious. For example, a perfect storm of disease – COVID-19, the flu and a respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) to which children are particularly vulnerable – has put a greater strain on London, Ont’s already overburdened hospitals. and they are likely to get worse, officials warn. “We anticipate significant continued pressure in the coming weeks and support the government’s recommendation for people to cover up in public, as we know that a mask is one of the most effective tools to prevent the transmission of disease,” the London Health Sciences Center said. in a statement on Wednesday. . LHSC said occupancy at the Children’s Hospital is at 115 percent, the highest it has ever been. Non-urgent patients in the Children’s Hospital emergency room can expect average wait times of six to eight hours, mainly due to the high volume of patients coming in with RSV and flu symptoms.

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A shortage of children’s pain relievers, including Tylenol and Advil, in Canada has parents looking elsewhere. DellaVedova said he knows “some” Sault Ste. Marie’s parents travel to nearby Michigan to obtain acetaminophen and ibuprofen for children. “In this respect, we have a slight advantage over other communities in the province,” he added. “Keep in mind Sault Ste. Marie, Mich., is also a small community and this option is only available to families with means.” Drug shortages in Canada began as early as last spring, but the supply crisis has worsened in recent months due to rising demand amid the spread of influenza, RSV and COVID-19. Prolonged pandemic supply chain disruptions have also contributed to the problem. Panic buying as news of drug unavailability spread exacerbated the issue

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After nearly two months of talks between governments and manufacturers, Health Canada arranged to import doses from the United States and Australia. The first US mission is already on the ground. DellaVedova said he is unable to comment on SAH’s overall supply of fever medicine for children. “But they were always available when I called them,” he added. An increase in the number of children ending up in hospital emergency rooms has prompted Ontario’s chief medical officer, Kieran Moore, to ask Ontarians to wear masks indoors to help overwhelmed children’s hospitals and reduce the spread of the virus. respiratory diseases. . If the situation worsens, Moore said he would consider making masks mandatory, especially in daycare centers. Most of the sick children in the hospital are aged four and under. Moore urged Ontarians to help protect children by wearing a mask, getting flu and COVID-19 shots, staying home when sick and washing their hands.

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DellaVedova said the masks “work,” but most people won’t wear them in “adequate numbers” unless mandated. “Doctors and nurses are very empathetic to pandemic fatigue … we share it too,” he added. “However, we spend our days face-to-face with children who are struggling to breathe. By comparison, coverage seems like a minor inconvenience.” Coverage for a short period of time could help flatten the curve of not only COVID, but also influenza and RSV, DellaVedova said. “This could prevent a dangerous build-up of cases in the short term,” he added. “It’s already too late for southern Ontario, but not too late for us. “Please note that there is another tool to prevent each of COVID-19 and influenza, which is a safe, effective, free and publicly available vaccine.”

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